batten
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bat·ten 1
(băt′n)v. bat·tened, bat·ten·ing, bat·tens
v.intr.
1. To become fat.
2. To thrive and prosper, especially at another's expense: "[She] battens like a leech on the lives of famous people, ... a professional retailer of falsehoods" (George F. Will).
v.tr.
To fatten; overfeed.
bat·ten 2
(băt′n)n.
1. Nautical
a. One of several flexible strips of wood or plastic placed in pockets at the outer edge of a sail to keep it flat.
b. A narrow strip of wood used to fasten down the edges of the material that covers hatches in foul weather.
2. A narrow strip of wood used in construction, especially to cover a seam between boards, as flooring material, or as a lath.
3.
a. The heavy swinging bar on a loom that holds the reed and is pulled forward to pack down the weft.
b. A flat stick used in weaving by hand to separate the upper and lower threads of the warp and to tighten the weft.
tr.v. bat·tened, bat·ten·ing, bat·tens
Idiom: Nautical To furnish, fasten, or secure with battens: battened down the hatch during the storm.
batten down the hatches
To prepare for an imminent disaster or emergency.
[Alteration of Middle English batent, finished board or bar of wood, from Old French batant, wooden strip, clapper, from present participle of batre, to beat; see batter1. Noun, sense 3a and b, from French batant, from Old French.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
batten
(ˈbætən)n
1. (Building) a sawn strip of wood used in building to cover joints, provide a fixing for tiles or slates, support lathing, etc
2. (Building) a long narrow board used for flooring
3. (Nautical Terms) a narrow flat length of wood or plastic inserted in pockets of a sail to give it proper shape
4. (Nautical Terms) a lath used for holding a tarpaulin along the side of a raised hatch on a ship
5. (Theatre) theatre
a. a row of lights
b. the strip or bar supporting them
6. (General Engineering) Also called: dropper NZ an upright part of a fence made of wood or other material, designed to keep wires at equal distances apart
vb
7. (General Engineering) (tr) to furnish or strengthen with battens
8. (Nautical Terms) to use battens in nailing a tarpaulin over a hatch on a ship to make it secure
9. to prepare for action, a crisis, etc
[C15: from French bâton stick; see baton]
ˈbattening n
batten
(ˈbætən)vb
(usually foll by: on) to thrive, esp at the expense of someone else: to batten on the needy.
[C16: probably from Old Norse batna to improve; related to Old Norse betr better1, Old High German bazzen to get better]
Batten
(ˈbætən)n
(Biography) Jean. 1909–82, New Zealand aviator: the first woman to fly single-handed from Australia to Britain (1935)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bat•ten2
(ˈbæt n)n.
1. a small board or strip of wood used for various building purposes, as to cover joints between boards, reinforce doors, or supply a foundation for lath.
2.
v.t. a. a strip of wood used to keep a sail flat.
b. a length of wood or metal used on a ship, esp. to secure a tarpaulin over a hatch.
3. to furnish or bolster with battens.
Idioms: batten down the hatches,
a. to cover a ship's hatches with tarpaulins held in place with battens.
b. to prepare to meet an emergency.
[1400–50; late Middle English bataunt, batent finished board < Old French]
bat•ten1
(ˈbæt n)v.i.
1. to thrive by feeding; grow fat.
2. to feed gluttonously or greedily.
3. to thrive, prosper, or live in luxury, esp. at the expense of others.
v.t. 4. to cause to thrive by or as if by feeding; fatten.
[1585–95; appar. < Old Norse batna to improve; akin to Gothic gabatnan, Old English gebatian to improve; see better1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
batten
Past participle: battened
Gerund: battening
| Imperative |
|---|
| batten |
| batten |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
batten
A wooden bar or metal pipe from which scenery or lights are suspended.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | batten - stuffing made of rolls or sheets of cotton wool or synthetic fiber stuffing - padding put in mattresses and cushions and upholstered furniture |
| 2. |  batten - a strip fixed to something to hold it firmstrip - thin piece of wood or metal | |
| Verb | 1. | batten - furnish with battens; "batten ships" beef up, fortify, strengthen - make strong or stronger; "This exercise will strengthen your upper body"; "strengthen the relations between the two countries" |
| 2. | batten - secure with battens; "batten down a ship's hatches" beef up, fortify, strengthen - make strong or stronger; "This exercise will strengthen your upper body"; "strengthen the relations between the two countries" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
batten
1noun rod, bar, stick, stake, rail, pole, paling, shaft, palisade, crosspiece Timber battens can be fixed to the wall.
verb (usually with down) fasten, unite, fix, secure, lock, bind, chain, connect, attach, seal, tighten, anchor, bolt, clamp down, affix, nail down, make firm, make fast, fasten down The roof was never securely battened down.
batten
2 verbbatten on something or someone thrive, grow, develop, gain, advance, succeed, get on, boom, do well, flourish, bloom, wax, prosper, burgeon, fatten, grow rich battening on fears about mass immigration and unemployment
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
batten
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
عارِضَةٌ خَشَبِيّه
laťlištaprkno
bjælkespærre
battingur, mjótt borî/fjöl
skersinė lenta
apmetuma skaliņilatašķērskoks
lata
ince tahta parçasıtiriz
batten
[ˈbætn]B. VT [+ roof, shutters] → sujetar con listones
to batten down the hatches (also fig) → atrancar las escotillas
to batten down the hatches (also fig) → atrancar las escotillas
batten on VI + PREP → explotar, aprovecharse de
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
batten
[ˈbætən] n (CARPENTRY) → latte f
(NAUTICAL, NAVAL) (on sail) → latte f de voile
to batten down the hatches (on ship) → fermer les écoutilles (fig) (= prepare for rough times) → se préparer au pire
batten down
vt septo batten down the hatches (on ship) → fermer les écoutilles (fig) (= prepare for rough times) → se préparer au pire
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
batten
n
(Naut, for sail) → Segellatte f; (for hatch) → Schalklatte f
vt
(Naut) sail → mit Latten verstärken; hatch → (ver-)schalken
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
batten
[ˈbæt/ən] n → listello di legno (Carpentry) → assicella, correntino; (for flooring) → tavola (Naut) → serretta (000) (on sail) → steccabatten down vt + adv (Naut) to batten down the hatches → chiudere i boccaporti (fig) → prepararsi per un'emergenza
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
batten
(ˈbӕtn) noun a piece of wood used for keeping other pieces in place. These strips are all fastened together with a batten.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.